Unveiling Of Fear

by Orin Black

Numerous labels have been placed on fear in an attempt to cover the wide spectrum of avenues down which we come face to face with this, often times misunderstood, force in our lives. In our world of dualistic views and beliefs, courage would definitely be pinned as Fear's opposite or neutralizer. But this type of comparison minimizes the true nature of Fear and undermines the real purpose Fear has in our lives. Fear is not to be conquered or hidden; it is to be acknowledged and then unveiled.

We have all experienced Fear's common calling: the heart pounding, the scattered thoughts, the "fight or flight" mode we automatically plunge ourselves into, within seconds of confronting a fearful situation. We feel irrational, endangered, and ultimately vulnerable, yet no matter how we respond to the fearful situation at hand; somewhere deep inside we know the three words that provide us with enough justification: "I was afraid." These words when spoken strike a common chord in us all, prompting an understanding of an emotional and mental state of being we have at one time or another been through. But is there a line between being afraid and using fear as an excuse? The latter would indicate an overwhelming influence in an individual's life, that continuously impedes their spiritual growth.

Fear is an absence or lack of information. With this understood, fear can no longer be placed among the emotions. Instead its place of origin is in the mind, among our thoughts. Fear is the great teacher that reminds us that we do not know everything.

Here are a few examples:

1. Fear of losing your job because you do not know if said stability can be adjusted or replaced. This in itself jeopardizes your comfort zone and lifestyle.
   
   
2. Fear of being alone because you do not know your Self.
   
   
3. Fear of dying because you do not know with absolute certainty what awaits you on the Other side.
   
   
4. Fear of being hurt by those you love. Your vulnerability in a relationship is buried upon layers composed of painful, past memories. In this instance, Fear is caused by what you do know/remember.

In viewing Fear as lack of information, one can now expose the main culprit behind disguising Fear as an emotion - the Ego. The word itself carries with it a connotation of an insult and portrays an excessive Ego as a negative trait. The Ego is what determines our self worth and establishes our self esteem. It is the buffer or curtain if you will, behind which Fear derives its protection. Ego will put on such an awesome show, like shouting, boasting, pouting, etc, tugging and pulling out emotions of choice. We are so conditioned into "thinking" this is the extent of Ego, that we tend to overlook throughout the entire show, the curtains behind Ego hiding Fear remain closed.

I do not want to imply Fear is only self inflicted because society, by far and large, has placed standards by which we should conduct ourselves appropriately and one of these is to "act" fearlessly. Yet, our society continuously supplies us with fearful images and words; and then preys upon our fearful "re-actions". Several religious doctrines and dogma follow the same protocol and receive the same fearful "re-actions" from the masses.

In order for this to take place, our Egos have to be offset and redefined by external components. In other words, there is no such thing as too much Ego, only too much Fear. This leads to irrational, emotional spurts of misplaced energy which is mislabeled as anger, jealousy, desperation, even paranoia.

One could conclude this happens when the Ego is bruised, but I would go one step further and suggest looking through the Ego and acknowledging the Fear.

Ego is the illusion; Fear the Illusionist.

The amount of work to be done in unveiling Fear is tremendous; it gets harder with every step. There are fearful patterns we were taught as children, though consciously forgotten, remain alive and active within our subconscious minds. They surface, however; within our dreams and in some cases during moments of crisis. But we never lose the ability to unveil Fear and embrace its lessons, its reflections of our own manifestations, and its daily insistence that actions begin with thoughts.

There is only one neutralizer of Fear and that is love. Honestly taking responsibility for your own thoughts is essential. This will initiate love of Self, to which understanding is sure to follow. Bringing with it revelations and knowledge of Self. In knowing our Selves, Fear's function and purpose are not eliminated, but indeed become clearer. Therefore allowing it to be unveiled and accepted with love.